


The Pack You Choose

by FelOllie



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Derek and Felicity are besties, F/M, M/M, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1945599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FelOllie/pseuds/FelOllie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do you always talk this much?" Derek asked over Laura's amused giggling.</p><p>"Oh, uh. Yeah, pretty much." Felicity blushed a pretty shade of pink and let her eyes fall down to the surface of the bar.</p><p>Laura glared at him but Derek was already reaching out to gently touch Felicity's hand in apology. "I'm Derek." he said, smiling softly at her when she lifted her head. "And this is my sister, Laura."</p><p>Felicity smiled at them both, the gesture genuine and open. Their was nothing dark lingering beneath it, no shadows slithering behind blue eyes.</p><p>For the first time in almost five years the smell of ash wasn't the strongest scent in the room. That title belonged to the delicately sweet scent of innocence, the scent of the woman who would come to be Derek's best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pack You Choose

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Derek is Felicity's best friend and he gets all growly at Oliver and tells him to take care of her.
> 
> Look, guys: I am incapable of writing short fics. It apparently is not a skill I possess. 
> 
> It's whatever. I'm fine with it if you are.
> 
> Also, the rating is for language.

When Laura and Derek fled Beacon Hills after the fire, New York wasn't the only place they sought refuge. They traveled slowly up through Maryland first, trying to find a place they could settle, a place they could call home. Laura was struggling under the weight of her new Alpha power and they were both being crushed by the pain of losing everyone, everything, they'd ever known and loved. Neither of them wanted to be in a big city just yet, even if it could offer them the best chance of blending in unnoticed.

They lingered in Pennsylvania for a while, just outside Lancaster, where they enjoyed the rural life. Eventually Laura grew tired of being so far away from the rest of civilization and they moved on. New York was nice. Derek found the illusion of peace in the thick woods of a conservation are just outside of Hudson. Laura found a few people to spend time with, people who could have been friends even if only because they hadn't known that Laura and Derek were running, much less what they were running from. New York lasted for almost a year, until a group of Argent hunters passed through and realized there were Hales breathing the same air as them.

Massachusetts lasted the longest. Laura found them an apartment in Cambridge, smack dab in the middle of a busy college town where no one noticed two new faces in an influx of so many. Laura and Derek both found jobs easily enough, Laura at a graphic design firm and Derek at a pool hall that was pretty popular among students.

Nearly six months passed in which Derek divvied up his time between their little apartment and work, not bothering to make friends because who knew how long this would last? There was no telling when they'd have to uproot their lives, yet again, and move on. It didn't make sense to Derek to get attached.

Until one night changed everything.

 

*

 

Derek had the late shift, eight to close. It wasn't a full moon so he had no objections. If he was being honest he could even go so far as to say he kind of liked the late shift on Friday nights. The pool hall filled with college students who were desperate for a break from a week of hard studies and exhausting classes, and Derek got a chance to spend time with people his own age. It was fun to feel like he fit in, like he wasn't a fugitive of his past, wasn't a wolf on the run. Students trickled in at a steady rate until the bar was full to capacity, a varying array of eighteen to twenty-somethings, all ready to blow of steam.

Well aware of his looks and no stranger to fending off the overly eager interested parties, Derek took it in stride each time someone leaned in close to murmur their order in his ear across the bar or pressed in close while he was winding his way through tables to deliver drinks. He was accustomed to the way some people leered at him, their eyes raking up and down his body, drinking in his physique and weighing their chances. It never mattered in the end. Derek was friendly, offered smiles and polite conversation as much as he was capable, but he never went home with anyone. After what happened, after his dick had led him into Kate's clutches, Derek didn't trust himself to make those kind of decisions. The only person Derek trusted was Laura and she never poked her nose into his private life, even if she wondered why he preferred to be alone.

The bar was loud and buzzing with energy when Laura slipped onto one of the stools right in front of Derek, still dressed in a nice blouse and black slacks, her hair twisted up with a pair of pencils. "My usual, baby brother." She grinned, eyes scanning the crowd.

Derek returned her smile easily as he set about mixing her rum and coke. He slid it across to her before moving down to the opposite end of the bar to take an order from a tiny blonde girl who was half leaning over the expanse of wood separating customers from the alcohol. "What can I get you?" Derek asked, snorting to himself when the girl, no older than nineteen, meeped and slid off the bar.

"Um. Hi." The blonde beamed when she righted herself, cobalt eyes wide and innocently friendly behind dark-rimmed glasses. "Tequila Sunrise?" she flashed a bright, hopeful smile, though Derek could tell she didn't actually think he would serve her.

"ID?" he asked, holding out a hand expectantly, one eyebrow cocked.

"Oh!" The girl startled but quickly recovered. She fished a neon pink wallet out of the back pocket of her jeans, wiggling a little to pry it loose.

Derek accepted the ID card she handed him, grinning despite himself. He looked at it for a beat too long before lifting his eyes to the girl's. She squirmed in place, fidgeting with her wallet and aiming for nonchalance. "Twenty-five, huh?" Derek questioned, leaning his elbows on the bar so he was leaning right into her space.

He heard her heartbeat tick up at the same moment she nodded. "Yup. That's me." she lied through her teeth. "Felicity Smoak, the big two five."

Derek laughed, one sharp bark of laughter. "Sure thing, Felicity." he agreed, handing her back the card and trying not to laugh again at the way her mouth fell open in surprise. He winked at her as he shoved up from the bar, turning to mix her drink. It wasn't all that uncommon for the bartenders to overlook student ages in this kind of college town and Derek normally cut them off when they hit a certain point, anyway.

"Uh. Thanks." she said, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes.

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else." Derek gave her a charming smile, one that she returned with flush riding high on her cheeks.

"I will." she nodded, her eyes sweeping down his chest as she turned away from the bar.

When Derek returned to Laura she was smirking at him. "What was that?" she asked, jerking her head at where Felicity had joined another girl at a pool table just a few feet away from the bar.

Derek shrugged.

"You were flirting." Laura pushed.

"I was not." Derek rolled his eyes. "I was just... She seems like a nice girl." he shrugged again. He was willing to admit he'd been friendlier with Felicity than he was with most other customers. He might have even flirted, just a tiny bit, but it wasn't with intent. The girl seemed sweet, honestly. Even the way her eyes lingered on his chest felt like curiosity rather than anything overtly sexual. She didn't smell like lust or even arousal when she looked at him. She smelled warm and sweet, something innocent mingled in her scent.

"Whatever you say." Laura laughed, taking a sip from her drink and eyeing Derek over the rim of her glass.

Derek ignored her and moved away again, taking more orders and talking to a few regulars. It was all routine at that point. The crowd ebbed and flowed, people coming in and out, some familiar and some not. It was an uneventful night, just the way Derek liked.

Or, it had been until the sound of shattering glass an hour or two later. "You clumsy bitch!" someone shouted, the voice rough and angry.

Derek glanced at Laura who was already halfway to the altercation. He saw a flash of blonde hair as he moved closer and heard Felicity apologizing.

"I'm so sorry!" she was saying, her heart fluttering quickly in her chest. "I'll buy you a new drink. That was totally my fault. God, I'm really sorry."

Derek reached the confrontation in time to see a guy twice the size of the tiny blonde lurching forward as if to put his hands on the girl. Derek snarled at the same moment Laura pulled Felicity out of the way. The guy, obviously drunk, stumbled forward, slipping in what smelled like vodka and orange juice and pitching toward the floor. Derek caught him by the wrist, righting him and glaring darkly.

"She apologized, already." he growled, taking pleasure in the way the drunk's eyes widened at the sound.

Like most drunks the idiot didn't know when enough was enough and tried to shove Derek back. "This little cock tease needs a lesson in manners." he slurred, pointing at Felicity who opened her mouth to reply.

She never got the chance. The guy tried to lunge past Derek, intent on getting his hands on Felicity, and Derek reacted. The punch wasn't enough to seriously injure the moron, but it was enough to knock him off course and onto the floor.

Felicity gasped behind him, her hand shooting up to catch the sound as Derek waved over a bouncer to drag the drunk up from the floor and deposit him outside. The guys shouted profanities all the way out the door, cursing out Derek and calling Felicity all kinds of disgusting names.

Derek ignored him, turning to face Felicity. She was beside a proudly grinning Laura, who had her arm around the blonde's shoulders, and her eyes were fixed on Derek. "You hit him." she said, the shock evident in her voice.

"He was going to hit you first." Derek pointed out, tipping his head toward the bar for Laura to lead Felicity over.

Once settled on one of the stools, Laura right beside her with a hand on her back to steady her, Felicity started babbling. "Oh my God, you hit that guy! For me! You didn't have to do that. I totally could have taken him. My mom made me take self-defense classes because Vegas is crawling with all kinds of gross people who don't understand the concept of personal space. I've never had to use it but I'm sure I could have protected myself. A good kick to the nuts would have brought him down like a sack of potatoes."

Laura was laughing full out by then and Derek was barely resisting the urge himself. "It's not a big deal, Felicity." he assured her. "He's not the first drunk I've had to knock around, and he probably won't be the last."

"Oh, don't get me wrong!" she exclaimed, leaning further over the bar. "I mean, thank you, seriously. You didn't have to do that, you don't even know me. But you did it anyway and that's really cool of you. You don't think you really hurt him though, right?" When Derek arched a disbelieving brow, Felicity hurried on. "I just mean... Well, look at you." She waved a hand at Derek's body. "Dude, you're huge. There is no doubt in my mind that with a body like that you could have easily broken his jaw or something and I don't think either of us needs that on our conscious."

"Do you always talk this much?" Derek asked over Laura's amused giggling.

"Oh, uh. Yeah, pretty much." Felicity blushed a pretty shade of pink and let her eyes fall down to the surface of the bar.

Laura glared at him but Derek was already reaching out to gently touch Felicity's hand in apology. "I'm Derek." he said, smiling softly at her when she lifted her head. "And this is my sister, Laura."

Felicity smiled at them both, the gesture genuine and open. Their was nothing dark lingering beneath it, no shadows slithering behind blue eyes.

For the first time in almost five years the smell of ash wasn't the strongest scent in the room. That title belonged to the delicately sweet scent of innocence, the scent of the woman who would come to be Derek's best friend.

 

*

 

It was nearly a year later and Derek was sitting in Felicity's apartment, spending the night with her to combat the loneliness of Laura being out of town. Derek hadn't ever gotten used to being completely alone, having grown up in such a large family and then, later, always being with Laura. But, Laura had a job to do and that job sometimes required her to travel. This was her longest business trip to date, having been gone for nearly a week already. Derek spent almost all of that time, when he wasn't at work, at Felicity's. She loved having him there, even gave him a key so that he could come and go when she was in class at MIT.

"Do you want to order out again?" Felicity asked, looking up at Derek from where she was tucked to his side, his arm heavy around her shoulders.

"I can cook something, if you want." he shrugged, running through a list of his mother's recipes in his head.

"Do you even know how to make anything that doesn't contain fuzzy woodland creatures?" Felicity teased, giving Derek her cheekiest grin.

He growled, snapping his fangs and flashing electric blue eyes at her. She giggled and shoved at his chest, pushing him back as she tipped sideways onto the sofa. Derek snarled playfully, crawling over her to trap her beneath him on the couch, caging her in with his arms and legs.

"Stop!" she shrieked, trying to twist away from his grip. "Derek, stop!" she laughed breathlessly.

He rubbed his stubbled cheek against her neck, scent marking her, before he let her up. He grinned at her, giving his fangs one last click before he sheathed them.

"So, was that a no?" Felicity huffed a second later. "Are we having Bambi stew for dinner? Or, oh! Maybe Thumper?"

Derek growled again but Felicity was already up off the couch, her laughter filtering back from the kitchen. He smiled to himself, glad to have another pack member to hang out with while their Alpha was away.

 

*

 

Derek was sound asleep when it happened. One minute, he was comfortably unconscious with Felicity's arms wrapped securely around his ribs and the next, he was drowning in the familiar pain of a severed pack bond. Sweat poured off of him, soaking the sheets beneath him as he whined.

"Der?" Felicity mumbled, still half asleep but able to feel him panicking. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Laura." Derek whimpered, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. "It's... She's..."

He didn't need to finish, didn't need to explain. Felicity didn't feel the bond quite the same way wolves did but she could feel the emptiness in her chest where Laura used to be. There was nothing she could say to ease the pain flowing off of him in waves, nothing she could possibly say to smooth the jagged edge of loss. Instead, she curled herself around his back, pressing her face between his shoulder blades, right where the triskele was inked into his skin, and cried with him.

 

*

 

"Felicity?"

Her head popped up at the sound of her name on Oliver's tongue. "What?"

"Are you okay?" he asked with a furrowed brow, stopping beside her bank of computers and hitching his hip against her desk.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she quickly assured him. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Don't be nervous." Oliver smiled warmly down at her, his hand finding her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. "It's not like this is the first time I've met one of your friends."

Felicity sighed, mentally reminding herself that this had been her idea. "I know that." she smiled tightly. "It's just... Derek is different. He's my best friend, you know? And I haven't seen him in almost six years, not since his sister died."

"But you've kept in touch." It wasn't a question. Oliver knew that Felicity kept tabs on Derek. He knew she talked to him on a regularly scheduled and carefully regimented basis even if he didn't understand why. He also didn't understand how Felicity always seemed to know that something was wrong with Derek before he called to tell her so, but she couldn't even begin to explain that part.

"It's just not the same, you know?" she leaned her cheek against Oliver's hand, pinning it between her cheek and her shoulder and giving it a little rub. _Some habits die hard_ , she thought. "I want you guys to like each other, Oliver. You're both important to me."

"It will be fine, Felicity. Stop worrying." Oliver promised, dropping a kiss to her hair.

 

*

 

"Derek?" Felicity's voice shook a little with nerves, her stomach fluttering wildly. She kind of wished Oliver had come right to the table with her rather than giving her the opportunity to greet Derek alone first.

"Felicity." Derek smiled, a wide smile that showed all of his teeth, as he stood from the table.

He didn't hesitate to pull her into a hug just short of bone crushing and press his nose into her neck. Suddenly she was nothing but grateful Oliver wasn't with her at that particular moment. There was no way in hell she could reasonably explain that away.

"Oh my God." she breathed, looking him up and down when she stepped out of his embrace. "You're massive! Jesus, did you get taller, too?"

Derek's smile got impossibly wider, his eyes drinking her in. "You're one to talk, Smoak. You look amazing."

"Yeah well, chasing bad guys is really good cardio." She waved a dismissive hand. "Then again, you're familiar with that concept. Where's Stiles?" she asked, looking around the restaurant for the man she only knew by voice and photograph.

Derek rolled his eyes, a distinctly affectionate gesture. "He's running late but he should be here any minute. Apparently the sentence, 'It doesn't matter what you wear, she already adores you.' means nothing to him."

Felicity grinned and pulled Derek into another hug. "It's so good to see you, Derek. I've missed you."

"Me too." He tightened his arms around her and felt her jolt when a deep male voice said her name.

Felicity whirled around to face the man and Derek subtly scented the air, drawing in the mix of Felicity's familiar scent along with leather and silk and the barest trace of jealousy. Derek grinned to himself.

"Oliver!" Felicity pulled him to her side, motioning between the two men. "This is Derek Hale. Derek, this is my boyfriend, Oliver Queen."

Derek stuck his hand out. "I've heard a lot about you, Oliver. It's nice to finally meet you."

Oliver shook his proffered hand with more force than necessary which only made Derek grin harder.

"Derek." Oliver gave a sharp nod. He couldn't be blamed, really. Sure, he's seen a photo or two of Derek over the years. He was aware that the guy was attractive by most standards but he'd underestimated the power Derek would exude. He and Oliver were roughly the same height and build, but Derek radiated strength and dominance. Oliver was aware of his own brawn, the capacity of his muscles and exactly what he was capable of. Even still, Derek's presence wasn't at all what Oliver had expected. "Should we sit?" Oliver asked, gesturing to the table.

"Please." Derek smirked at Felicity who rolled her eyes, well aware of what he must be getting off of Oliver at that moment, and knowing that Derek was enjoying every moment of it.

"I thought that Felicity mentioned your boyfriend would be joining us?" Oliver queried, as though needing to remind himself that Derek was attached.

"He is." Derek's chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Stiles is-"

"Right here!" A brown haired, golden eyes young man called on a pant, appearing behind Derek and dropping unceremoniously into the open chair beside him. "I'm here. I am so sorry I'm late. Dude, your traffic here is insane. It took me twenty minutes, _by cab_ , to get here from the hotel. I probably should have walked but I didn't want to get lost and then be really late."

Felicity hid a laugh behind her hand, though it did little to conceal the sound. Oliver just gaped at him, his brows tight with what could have been judgment but was more than likely just bafflement. None of it phased Stiles. He beamed at both of them, eyes bright and curious. They made quick introductions, Oliver's scent smoothing out as he shook Stiles' hand. Derek chuffed a laugh under his breath. Stiles had that effect on people.

"So, what did I miss?" he asked the table at large, before his eyes flickered to and settled on Felicity. "Wow. You know, I've seen about a million pictures of you but holy god, woman. You are gorgeous."

A pink tint stained Felicity's cheeks but she was smiling. "We're resorting to flattery already, Stiles? We haven't even had drinks yet."

Stiles' grin was sharp and pleased. He turned to Derek, eyes pleading. "Can we keep her?"

 

*

 

Dinner was more fun than Oliver thought it would be. Once he relaxed and stopped over-analyzing everyone's interactions, he found that he actually enjoyed talking to Derek and Stiles. Stiles and Felicity carried most of the conversation between the two of them, wiping out any chance for awkward silences. Like Oliver, Derek was the quieter of the two. He was attentive and responsive but he seemed to prefer letting Stiles babble excitedly or mutter seriously, depending on the topic of conversation.

Oliver discovered that Derek also had a habit of staring at Stiles at random moments, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. It reminded Oliver very much of the way he felt himself looking at Felicity. There were also the times when Derek reached out to touch Stiles lightly, just a subtle brush of skin on skin, that was a perfect copy of the way Felicity often touched Oliver.

"I could use another drink." Stiles shook his empty glass, lifting a brow at Felicity. "Care to join me at the bar?"

"Sure." Felicity let her fingers trail the back of Oliver's neck as she stood, and then touched briefly at the back of Derek's hand as she passed him. Oliver didn't miss the way Stiles touched the same spot before he left the table.

"You're very observant." Derek commented offhandedly.

"Comes with the job." Oliver said, leaning back in his chair.

"Hmm." Derek hummed noncommittally. "Felicity seems happy."

"I hope so." Oliver let his eyes flicker to where he could see Felicity and Stiles leaning against the bar. "Her happiness is my top priority."

"That's good." Derek nodded, leaning forward slightly so that his elbows were resting on the table. "Because Felicity is very important to me, Oliver. And I would hate to hear that any harm was coming to her while under your protection."

Oliver scoffed, an affronted sound that he hadn't even known he was capable of making. "Tell me, Derek." he said, keeping his tone deliberately even and his body purposefully lax. "If Felicity's safety is so important to you, where have you been for the last six years?"

Derek growled, his teeth grinding. "Felicity knows where I've been, why I didn't come sooner. Trust me when I tell you that my not being here does not, in any way, lessen my affection for her. Felicity is family to me, Oliver. I look out for my family."

"I can appreciate that." Oliver conceded. "However, let me make something perfectly clear. I will protect Felicity with my life, Derek. I understand that you worry. I have a little sister of my own. But, Felicity is strong and perfectly capable of looking out for herself."

Derek surprised him by laughing at that, an actual laugh that reached his eyes. "Oh, I'm well aware of that fact. I'm also aware that she would kick my ass if she knew I were to suggest otherwise. That particular trait is yet another thing that she and Stiles have in common. But, like Stiles, Felicity is headstrong and stubborn as hell. Neither of them is above putting themselves in harm's way in order to protect the people they love, even us."

Oliver nodded, understanding exactly what Derek was talking about. How many times had Felicity put herself in danger for him, for their team?

"I'm only trying to make it clear to you that if she gets hurt under your watch, it's me that you'll have to deal with." Derek growled.

Oliver startled internally when he thought he saw Derek's eyes flash a burning blue. "We're clear on that, if nothing else." Oliver said.

Derek felt satisfied at the tiny blip in Oliver's pulse when he'd flashed his eyes, and even more so at the faintest hint of fear that colored his scent. "Good."

"I hope you two are playing nice." Stiles sighed knowingly as he sank back into his vacated chair upon his and Felicity's return. "He didn't threaten you, did he?" he asked Oliver.

Oliver met Derek's eyes across the table before he answered, "Not at all. We were just discussing a common interest."

Felicity snorted and Stiles sighed again, this time with more resigned disapproval. "You threatened him, didn't you?"


End file.
